Les princes du sang
by LightandSound
Summary: When the Emperor killed His Thunder Warriors, He showed He was willing to make any sacrifice and break any moral code to achieve Human Supremacy. Who's to say His Astartes meant any more to Him? Who knows if He had any love for His sons? Perhaps His opposition to Chaos was nothing more than a remnant of His past lives, one that could morph into something darker.
1. The Heresy

**A/N: Hey there! Hope you enjoy the story.**

 **This fanfic account is now shared between two authors. This story is the debut of the second author associated to this account.**

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Chapter 1: The Heresy

The Emperor was Humanity's shining light in the darkness. Humanity was a race long on the edge of extinction and annihilation at the hands of Daemons, Xenos, Mutants, Psykers, and Heretics on the inside. For millennia, Mankind had suffered and laboured simply to survive the cruel, black future of the Age of Strife. When greeted with the seemingly endless wisdom and power of the Emperor of Man, the godlike being became somewhat of a father to the Humans of the Milky Way. From Terra to the edges of the known universe, Humankind came to love the Emperor for His Great Unification or hate him as a tyrant; the latter in secrecy or in fiery death. However, the much adored inhuman saviour that was the Emperor, gold-clad essence known in every heart and mind that could call itself Human, was not without his imperfections; his _demons._

It was in the months immediately following the Triumph of Ullanor, while war raged in the Akum-Sothos Sector, that it truly began. Magnus the Red, the Crimson King of Prospero and Primarch of the XV Legion of Astartes, sat in his quarters aboard his Sons' capital ship after the subjugation of another enemy of the Imperium of Man alongside his brothers Lorgar and Leman Russ, the latter of which he was desperately trying to avoid. As the XV Legion's fleet glided through the void of deep space, he felt it: dread, fear, a sudden, thick uneasiness that fell upon him like the armoured foot of a Titan. He winced as the sudden assault on his emotions physically startled him, and he shot up out of his seat immediately. He must warn his brothers, something is wrong. Something is wrong with their father.

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Corvus Corax, Liberator of Kiavahr and Primarch of the XIX Legion, was upset, to say the least. In the midst of pacifying the Akum-Sothos Rebellion alongside his brothers Leman Russ of the VI Legion, Perturabo of the IV Legion, and Warmaster Horus of the XVI Legion. Him and his sons had been engaged in heavy combat, testing out the new Mk V "Corvus" Power Armour against the heretical rebels of the sector. It was after several hours of testing that he received a summons from Horus; who'd been placed in command of all his brothers by their father earlier that year. Corvus tried to hurry the battle, hoping to be able to pacify this particular world before Horus became impatient, and was able to achieve an acceptable victory over the following days.

When he finally went to speak to Horus, he was instead greeted by his red-skinned brother Magnus. This was the source of Corvus' discontent with the situation at hand. He'd expected to be informed of urgent news from one of his brothers fighting alongside him, or from Terra itself, not be drawn into a debate on the merit of Psykers in the Imperium. Corvus did not like Magnus, nor did he approve of his arcane powers and interests. Him and Magnus stayed in uncomfortable silence in Horus' private quarters, Magnus looking somehow rejected, worried, tired, excited and angry all at once as Corvus shot him glances, until Horus arrived to break the silence.

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Horus entered the room and the silent argument between Magnus and I came to a halt. I gazed upon my brother briefly, as if to ensure it was him. Horus is a tall man even for a Primarch, as he is amongst the largest of our brothers. Magnus, however, was the tallest of all of us. This latter fact may or may not be due to Magnus' abhorrent use of sorcery, projecting himself to fit the situation. The thought briefly crosses my mind that father also does this, and I am aware that Magnus has read this brief thought, which makes me angry. Then again, father reads my thoughts…

" **Corvus. Please don't antagonize Magnus, you know our brother has all the best intentions,"** Horus says. " **Besides, it's not as if there's anything wrong with what he does, considering there's no greater Psyker than father Himself. Ask Vulkan, Sanguinius or Roboute how they feel about it, they'll tell you."**

I sigh and rub my armoured hand over my face, already rather impatient with all of this. I acknowledge the validity of his points however, and I feel a tad guilty for how I treat Magnus. Maybe I should pursue a more… tolerant perception of my brother… besides, I'm not Russ or Mortarion; I won't verbally assault Magnus over the issue, especially in the presence of Horus.

I turn to Magnus and mutter " **Perhaps you're right, brother."** Horus nods and smiles, though I notice it is a fleeting thing, and I also notice that Magnus has maintained a small scowl ever since the first mention of father.

" **So… why have you called me here? I'm sure you know I was in the middle of a compliance campaign-,"** Horus cuts me off.

" **Magnus… has received disturbing premonitions, and he believes that you and I are the most trustworthy of all our brothers currently on campaign."**

I'm quite shocked Magnus considers me trustworthy, and part of me wants to believe this is some sort of practical joke. Surely Magnus would've first told father had anything of this nature been worrying him enough to pull me out of battle _and_ involve Horus.

Then I hear Magnus' voice in my mind, and I'm about to become annoyed once again when he speaks.

" _ **Corvus, I need you to hear me out. I'm not going to risk a verbal argument with you putting this any further behind, so I shall simply show you the very things I felt and saw."**_

I internally sigh again and am then thrown back into my seat. Not by Magnus' efforts, but by shock.

* * *

Suddenly, I am no longer on the _Vengeful Spirit_ , but rather, I am on Terra. I look around, and stagger in horror when I take in the terrifying visage. The planet-city that is Terra is burning and collapsing into dust, fire and smoke, and I see an uncountable number of warships in the sky. Some are in the colours of the IX, VII and XVI legions; the Blood Angels, Imperial Fists and Luna Wolves. The legions of my brothers Sanguinius and Rogal Dorn, and of course, Horus. Other ships are the bright gold of those directly under the command of our father. They seem to be fighting each other, and I wince upon seeing ships on both sides explode and plummet to the surface of the Throneworld.

As I continue to look around, I see battle on the surface as well. I notice the ground forces of the legion in orbit, or rather, the strewn corpses of their dead scattered throughout the rubble, alongside those of Terran civilians, Imperial Army units and… father's Custodians? I don't understand… have my brothers betrayed Mankind? Has there been some kind of revolt on Terra? I shiver when I remember my physical body is still in a room with Horus, whose sons are attacking Terra in this vision.

Then, I see it. On the foot of the Imperial Palace, I see father, flaming sword at his side. He stood over the bloody, burnt corpses of Horus and Sanguinius. I see Dorn standing opposite of Him, sobbing. His face contorted in a rare show of emotion from my most stoic brother; grief and anger. His form is covered in blood.

He raises his eyes to father, and shrieks " **Traitor! We trusted you, believed you,** _**loved you!**_ **You lied to us!"**

Father chuckles darkly, and his eyes flash a deep crimson as he blows Dorn backwards with psychic power. I begin to shake with many emotions as Father then walks towards my brother's wounded and weakened form, Dorn looking at father in livid defiance.

Father then puts his sword against Dorn's neck, and says in a cruel, cold tone, " **Perturabo would've put up a better fight."**

I reach out and yell " **No! Father, don't!"** as he plunges his blade into my brother's throat. Then I awake, still screaming.

* * *

When I take in my surroundings again, I see Magnus looking upon me with regret and sad understanding, while Horus bears a concerned and unnerved expression.

" _ **Do you see why I had to speak with you about this, and not father?,"**_ Magnus says in my head, and I blink and nod, feeling a wave of nausea come over me. I face Horus and shoot him a look that says "Have you seen this?"

He shakes his head, but says " **No, but he told me what he saw. I'm… happy I didn't have to see it personally."** I grind my teeth and clench my seat, looking Magnus in the face.

" **What do you want me to do?"**

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 **A/N: Once again, hope you enjoyed the story :) Please do feel free to leave a review, like, or follow.**


	2. Wolfspear

**A/N: Thank you all for the response to the story so far! Thank you to the three people (It Was the Jawas, RabumAlal31, and WriteReadReviewDie) that have followed the story, the one reviewer (sonic), and the person that fav'd the story. The support is very much appreciated. A big thank you to all of you that have the read the story.  
**

 **Alright, onward with chapter 2!**

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Chapter 2: Wolfspear

" **WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?"**

Perturabo sighed in annoyance, mimicking the identical response of his brother Corvus whilst Horus winced. When Magnus instructed Corvus and Horus to persuade the other two brothers partaking in the Akum-Sothos Campaign, nobody expected Perturabo to believe them as easily as he had. The Hammer of Olympia, however, had no problem believing his trust in their father had been betrayed; it'd never existed in the first place. Perturabo wasn't used to the very _idea_ of trust yet, and even if he had been, a man as powerful as the Emperor? Perturabo had learned to question _all_ authority. Though, he trusted Magnus well. After all, they'd become best of friends on Terra after his reunification with the Imperium, studying lore and forbidden knowledge together. Truly it was an interest they shared. So his lack of trust in the Emperor, combined with his friendship with Magnus, made him rather easy to buy over.

The Wolf King of Fenris, however-

" **YOU DARE ACCUSE OUR FATHER OF SUCH TREASON?! YOU UNGRATEFUL, DISHONORABLE, TRAITOROUS HERETI-,"**

Perturabo cuts off his feral tirade by yelling over him.

" **Oh would you stifle yourself Russ! Would you even dedicate a mere moment to taking our words into consideration, you'd see it's not that far fetched! Our father is clearly in a position to sabotage the ideals of the Great Crusade, and we all know there is much He hides from us! Is it not questionable that we, His Generals, are kept in the dark for most if not all His greater plans!?,"** he barks out, physically remaining relaxed despite the intensity of his words and maintaining his famed outwardly calm demeanor which rivals that of Rogal Dorn.

Russ growls, a lupine sound that echoes throughout his private quarters.

" **You should hold your tongue, before I personally tell father of your conspiracy and beg Him to loose the Wolves on you and your legions, heretics!"** Russ retorts, assuming an offensive stance. Horus sighs, facepalming while Perturabo's eye twitches.

" **That's under the assumption your rabid dogs would compare to my sons. Your savage pups would be put down by the sheer strategic superiority of my legion, which I have instilled in them. Just like the Emperor would put us all down if it suited his agenda. He's done it twice. And he's used you to do it."** Russ' eyes go wider than ever before, and he slams his hand down on a table, nearly breaking it.

" **YOU DARE CALL ME A TOOL!?,"** he howls, sliding the table out of his way as he speedwalks towards Perturabo.

Said brother closes his eyes and prepares for the inevitable brawl when he hears a loud thump. Russ grunts, and Perturabo opens his eyes as a metallic clang resonates in his ears. Russ is unconscious, on the ground and bleeding at the mouth. Horus is standing over him, arm still outstretched, with a look of disappointment and impatience on his face.

" **Sometimes, I pity our most uncivilized of brothers… A man driven by bloodshed and a primitive sense of honour… I only pray that by our efforts and those of Magnus, we can convince him…"** Horus says, in a tone of annoyance.

Perturabo laughs and proclaims " **Shame, I was almost looking forward to putting him on the floor myself!",** in response to which Horus rubs the bridge of his nose.

Corvus smiles in amusement before returning to his default expression, one of worry and deep thought.

" **Yes, that is funny, but… how are we getting off the Space Wolves' fleet… with their unconscious Primarch, who was obviously knocked out with brute force?"**

* * *

A crowd of VI Legion Astartes gathered around their Primarch's private meeting space, confused. On his broken, moved table lay a note on a datapad, saying " _I have gone to confer with the Warmaster, and I know not when I shall return. Do not come to retrieve me, or you shall be stripped of all rank and sent as far from the front as possible."_

One of the Marines hums in befuddlement, and looks at his nearest battle brother.

" **I never saw him leave, did you?"**

To which his comrade responds " **Nay, me either brother. Do you know if that's Lord Russ' handwriting?"**

The Marine laughs, and snorts out " **My friend, I wasn't even aware he** _ **could**_ **write!"**

* * *

Leman Russ jolts awake, on the verge of screaming due to the nightmare he'd just experienced. He is tied to a table in the chambers of the _Vengeful Spirit._

" _ **That was no nightmare, brother. That was what our brothers had been trying to tell you about. Now you've seen the vision too, and I know that you are well aware it is authentic."**_

Russ blinks, and instantly recognizes the voice.

" **Magnus! You sorcerer! You and your treachery will-,"** he hears Magnus sigh, followed by his vision being sent into complete darkness. He growls, before seeing Magnus, or rather, likely his astral projection.

" **You! You traitor! Heretic! You'd accuse father of betraying all of us! He** _ **created**_ **us all, and His wisdom is beyond us! You dare question His intentions!? I will ensure you are put down for this!,"** he bellows, rushing towards the projection, which disappears in front of him and reappears behind him.

" **Leman, please… if I were knowingly lying, do you really think I'd go to you of all people? You've never trusted me, or even liked me, so why would I trust you with this?"**

This causes a brief pause in Russ' devotion-inspired rampage. His brother brings up a valid point. Never had they been close enough to trust one-another with secrets such as this, true or false. However, his brother is a sorcerer, a foul, tainted creature. He _knows_ it's a valid point, exactly why he'd say it! Such a devious fiend would certainly be able to predict how Russ would respond!

" **Foul beast, haha! You daemonic fool, do you truly think you'll ever convince me that our father would betray His own beliefs!? His own creations!?"**

Russ then spins around, facing Magnus' projection, screaming " **You are dead to me, dead to the Imperium!"**

Magnus sighs again, and his eyes seem to be… sad…?... Russ is taken aback by the sight, blinking and stepping backwards. He cocks his head to the side. His mind is overtaken with grief, desperation, sadness and a distinct lack of hope. Magnus' emotions…

" **Y-you're just fooling my mind, playing tricks on me, trying to fool me! It won't work! It can't work! It will never work!"** he shrieks in desperation, trying to shed the influx of feelings from his heart and head.

" **You know it's true Russ… The connection is two-way, you can feel all I can… You'd know if I was lying, and you know as well as I do that you can tell I'm not…"** Magnus quietly says, too quiet to not be genuine, even for a master of mind games such as the sorcerer.

Russ' mind is then assaulted with images of a golden fleet passing through the void of deep space. The ships are manned by Custodians and members of the elite Solar Auxilia, whose forces buzz about the fleet like insects at work.

" **They're coming for us Russ… Father knows that we've discovered His truest of intentions… He's going to put us down, you and your sons included… a cruel irony, is it not? The loyal executioner, his most hated brother, and the favoured son, the Warmaster… to be killed like rabid dogs… or dogs who aren't easy enough to control… Please Leman… help us or we'll all die… I'm begging you, honour be damned!"**

Russ slowly wakes up from his Psyker-induced sleep seeing his brothers gathered around him. Horus at their head, he speaks.

" **Well Russ?"**

The Wolf ponders, indecision and anger gripping his face. He then spits on the ground and mutters, barely audible to the Warmaster.

" **Where do we start?"**

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 **A/N:** **Hope you enjoyed the chapter :) Once again, feel free to leave a review, fav, or follow.**


	3. Fear of the Dark

**A/N: Thank you for all the new reviews, follows, and favs! The response to this story has been nothing short of amazing, and the both of us that run this account can't be any more grateful for the readership that we have. To anyone that has clicked and read this story so far, thank you all so much.**

 **Additionally, we'd like to wish everyone here a very belated Merry Christmas. We're very much late, but we thought we'd like to extend the gesture. A Happy New Year as well to you all. Let's look forward to 2019 and let's ring in 2019 with a new chapter.**

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Horus Lupercal stood on the bridge of the _Vengeful Spirit,_ looking over the assembly of ships before his own. The fleets of the five legions in the Akum-Sothos Sector, in addition to the forces of their new found allies, the local rebellion, gathered at the far edge of the sector facing Terra. In the days following Russ' joining, Perturabo and Magnus advised Horus that the best course of action was to make their position easily defensible so as to stand a chance against their father's Loyalists who had been sent to destroy them. Reluctantly, Horus had sent ambassadors to the rebelling worlds, seeking their alliance. The resistance was able to be won over, with the promise that if the Emperor can be defeated, the Imperium will be made more acceptable by the standards of the sector's people. Horus didn't exactly know what they meant, but they'd expressed desire for a less Terra-centric regime and a more tolerant entity. Knowing the struggles of his brother Magnus, Horus had no problem with such stipulations.

Horus was nervous. This would come as no surprise to a mortal going against his circumstances, as any logical Manlet would be afraid. But a Primarch, nonetheless the Warmaster of the Imperium, feeling fear? The presence of unease in his mind merely served to further unsettle him as it was a foreign presence there. Yes, he was accustomed to grief, often for the Imperium's losses in the Great Crusade, and so too he was accustomed to annoyance especially when dealing with Russ. But to find anything remotely similar to fear… was thought by most to be impossible. Yet here he was pacing the bridge of his ship, desperate for any sort of update to break the bone-chilling silence of his wait.

This was his _father_ he'd be waging war with, the most powerful Human to ever exist in every considerable way. This was the man who created him and his brothers, so perfect he often wasn't even considered a man to begin with-

" **Lord Horus! We are receiving communications from the flagship of the XVth Legion! Lord Magnus requests permission to come aboard!"**

Horus jumped and looked around. He walked towards his son who had spoken, thankful none of his men had seen that…

" **Allow them aboard, Fleet Master."**

The Fleet Master nods, and soon Magnus the Red materializes on the bridge before Horus' own eyes. He looks around for a bit to take in his surroundings before turning to face him, a worried expression explaining the reason for his visit.

" **Brother... I must speak with you…** _ **alone, please…"**_

Horus sighs and nods, turning and motioning for Magnus to follow. They make their way to Horus' private chambers, walking past scurrying Luna Wolves Astartes as they do. Upon reaching his chambers, Horus turns to Magnus.

" **Well? What is it?"**

Magnus glances to the side, as he softly says " **We're running out of time, they're coming closer, and they'll be here in the next several days. Do you think 5 Legions of our sons and the mortal resistance here are enough to fight off our father's Custodes and the elite of the Imperial Army?"**

A shadow falls over Horus' face, and he responds, in a tone of borderline defeat, with a simple " **I do not know brother… We are up against possibly insurmountable odds, and we cannot trust that contacting any of our remaining brothers, if we even can now, will result in anything more than them branding us traitors…"**

Horus then looks Magnus in the eye, putting his nervousness behind him for a time.

" **But we must face the odds regardless. We were created to embody the values of Humanity, and our values call us to rally against tyranny and betrayal. If we must die to do so, then so be it. We will die heroes, even if only to ourselves. Aye brother?"**

Magnus smiles in a fatigued manner, and nods, saying " **Aye indeed, Warmaster."**

It is then that there is an aggressive knock on the door, as a Marine proclaims " **Sirs! Imperial fleet approaching! It bears the markings of the VIIIth Legion!"**

Magnus and Horus share a panicked glance as they rush to follow the Marine, who is already sprinting off towards the bridge. Entering the bridge, the brother Primarchs witness Luna Wolves and Magnus' Honour Guard, the Sekhmet, frantically rushing around the room.

Horus steps forward and bellows " **Fleet Master! Establish communications with the VIIIth's capital ship, now!",** in response to which the Fleet Master shakily nods and attempts to follow the order. He barks at the Astropath, who is silent for a while before responding.

The Fleet Master goes pale, and worriedly yells to Horus " **T-the Night Haunter wishes to speak with Lords Horus and Magnus personally, at this very moment."**

Horus and Magnus once again look at one-another, and Horus tells the Fleet Master to request he board the _Vengeful Spirit,_ which he obeys. Before too long, all eyes in the bridge are on the pale, black-eyed, ghastly form of the Eighth Primarch as he materializes in front of them. Once fully present, he is silent for a few seconds, looking around at the Astartes and Primarchs in his presence.

He then looks directly at Horus, and says " **Brother. I have decided to take upon myself a new hobby, which I have little to no experience in. I wish to have hope. Hope fate can change... and, hope that I can join in on your little… revolution?"**

* * *

Constantin Valdor stands on the bridge of the ship given to him by the Emperor of Mankind for the task of snuffing out his rebellious sons. As he stares out into the void, he smiles. Truly, to serve the Emperor is an honour. The Astartes are fools to defy their purpose, even if it requires them to die. To die in service of the Emperor would certainly be the most glorious fate imaginable. He rubs an armoured finger over the tattoo on his forehead and chuckles. The eight-pointed star, of the Emperor's new benefactors of course. The chuckle turns into maniacal laughter, and the other Custodes around him follow suite, giggling and guffawing like madmen. Oh, this campaign shall be fun, if not a challenge as they hope.

" **Astropath, how far away are we now!?"** he spews out between body-shaking spurts of laughter.

" **M-mere days, my liege. W-we will be there within the Terran week!"**

Valdor grins widely, and growls out a sadistic " **Good…"** as his only response, before resuming his cackling fit. Fun, fun indeed...

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 **A/N: Once again, thank you for reading! Feel free to leave a review, fav, or follow. If you want to put any feedback or suggestions, please feel free to do so via review. We'd love to hear what you think :)**


	4. Perfection

**A/N: Hey there! Sorry for the relative lack of updates as of late. The author behind this has been busy with the advent of the New Year, but rest assured he hasn't forgotten about the story and has written a new chapter for you all. We hope you're all having a wonderful year so far. Thank you to all that have read, faved, and followed the story since the last update. Your support means a lot to both of us.**

 **To WordBearer01 and on the Custodes thing he says this: it may most likely happen.**

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Chapter 4: Perfection

The situation was ghastly. None of the Emperor's Children Astartes had expected such fierce resistance, especially from such a small xenos civilization. The sound of artillery and gunfire filled the air as dust fell from the ceiling of Lord Commander Vespasian's trench-bound, makeshift command centre. Beside him stood Lieutenant Commander Abdemon to his right and First Captain Kaesoron to his left, both of whom were trying to relay information to him.

" **Lord Commander, we've lost contact with the 13th Company!"** screams the First Captain

" **Sir, the rear guard has collapsed, the 10th Company have moved back to a more secure position, while we've received only silence from the rest!"** proclaims the Lieutenant Commander

Vespasian sighed in pure frustration and looked towards his Lieutenant Commander.

" **What of the 2nd and 3rd Companies? Surely they've managed to break out-"**

" **Sir, their assault has failed, and they've fallen back to the frontlines. They've sustained heavy losses, and are moving back to meet with the 10th to hold the rear."**

The Lord Commander's eye twitches and he groans loudly. How could things be going so wrong? They'd planned this compliance campaign with the utmost care and perfection. Perfection. The IIIrd Legion lived and breathed for it, obsessed over it, dedicated their lives to it. And yet they still do not always win as easily as one might believe. Obviously.

When Imperial forces had discovered the world of Uriahull, it seemed like just another world with xenos to be purged. However, the IIIrd Legion had been heading towards a nearby world designated Twenty-Eight Three, and decided to take up the job rather than let the planet be purged without any fight. This is now quite evidently a mistake. When they arrived in the system, what had previously been believed to be a society undergoing their first Industrial Revolution revealed itself to be a planetary hivemind of reptilian creatures with a spacefleet. It was also revealed that Humans had once prospered in the system before being destroyed by these xenos.

When the Astartes landed, their smaller numbers compared to their brother legions made it logical to decide upon one location as their landing zone, being an abandoned city of Human ruins, surrounded by ancient walls and decaying trenches and foxholes. The Marines and their mortal attachés have been unable to break out of their landing zone. However, with the collapse of two separate groups of companies, as well as the destruction of the Imperial Army forces who discovered the world to begin with, what was originally intended to become a simple compliance will now be a nightmare from which the Emperor's Children may never recover.

The Lord Commander then looks around.

" **Where is Lord Fulgrim, and where are the other Lord Commanders?"**

The First Captain and Lieutenant Commander glance at one another, then Abdemon speaks.

" **Lord Fulgrim has set out to find the enemy's central leader. As our attempts to study the aliens have shown they are some form of hivemind, he seeks to cut off the head to kill the body. He insisted we stay to hold the line."**

Kaesoron then speaks up.

" **As for your fellow Lord-Commanders, we… we don't know. It's safe to assume the worst for them and all we've lost contact with, including 13th Captain Lucius, Delegatus Konenos, and Lieutenant Commander Bile. Some of our finest Astartes…"**

" **That's enough!"** exclaims Vespasian.

" **Where are the nearest Imperial forces? Preferably Astartes!"**

Abdemon glances at the wall quickly, nervously, and says " **Well, we're near the fringe of the Realm of Ultramar, and there's a Mechanicus world called Tigrus close by…"**

" **So we can have the Mechanicus and the Ultramarines here to help us deal with this?"**

" **Well, yes, but, it'd be** _ **dishonourable**_ **to beg for help now! We're warriors, we fight our own battles!"**

" **Lieutenant Commander, would you rather keep our honour or our existence? I'd certainly like to see there be a IIIrd Legion after this! Send out the message now!"**

Abdemon sighs and rubs his face. He then gives the order to send out a distress signal. Well, at least there's not too much shame in this, especially considering the size difference between the Ultramarines and Emperor's Children Legions.

" **Distress call sent sir. Let us hope they get here in time…"**

* * *

Captain Solomon Demeter of the Emperor's Children 2nd Company was enduring the fight of his life.

After their failed attempt at breaking out of their figurative and increasingly literal cage, the 2nd and 3rd Companies had fallen back to assist the previously lone 10th Company in holding the rear against advancing enemy forces under the constant harassment of enemy artillery and aerial bombardment. His friend Captain Vairosean was heavily injured in the failed attack and had been carried by Demeter over his shoulder to their latest mission. His comrade out of commission for now, Demeter took command of Vairosean's 3rd Company and met with the 10th's Captain Saul Tarvitz. Needless to say, he wasn't faring much better than Demeter either.

The 10th and 13th Companies had been holding a segment of the rearguard, staving off an incredibly ferocious enemy assault. Suddenly, the 13th is wiped out alongside a large segment of Tarvitz's own. Enemy aircraft are buzzing overhead, mowing down large amounts of the remaining Imperial forces present in the area. Luckily, said aircraft were downed mere minutes ago, but the damage has been more than done. The purple and gold-clad corpses of Fulgrim's sons lay strewn about the battlefield, mutilated and carved apart by heavy ammunition, artillery shells, and machine gun fire.

" **Captain Demeter! Do you have any ideas as to how we're going to push them back!?"**

Solomon looks over at Saul Tarvitz, who is crouched behind the charred remnants of what he assumes to be an enemy fighter craft.

" **How does risky and reckless sound to you, sir!?"**

Tarvitz smirks ever so slightly, and says " **If it gets the job done right!"**

Demeter returns the smile, and steps atop the dead body of an enemy soldier.

" **Alright then! Mass assault! Every one of you bastards, charge!"**

The Marines of the 2nd, 3rd and 10th Companies, though nearly exhausted, injured, battleworn, surrounded and outnumbered, gather with a jubilant cry of defiance.

" **Children of the Emperor! Death to His foes! For the Emperor!"**

* * *

Roboute Guilliman listened to the news again with mixed anxiousness and relief. His brother was in trouble, so of course he was anxious to arrive and assist him. But considering the strange occurances of the past few Terran weeks, he is very happy to even hear from any of his brothers. Six legions with whom contact has been entirely lost, and all in the same sector? Something wrong is amiss, Guilliman feels it in his very being. Perhaps he can convince Fulgrim to come to Macragge instead of continuing his Crusading… just temporarily. Until everything is sorted out, obviously…

Guilliman looks out over the troops of his legion and its attachments. They were comprised of five whole chapters of Ultramarines, and several regiments of Imperial Army soldiers, besides three quarters of the entire Mechanicus forces on Tigrus. Surely, this will mean victory for the Ultramarines. Guilliman smiles, though it is a small and weary one he has. Perhaps a good battle will help bring him out of this paranoia and self-doubt.

" **Men, let us make for Uriahull! For Courage and Honour!"**

The gathered mass of fighting men, cheering for battle and the waging of war for Terra and Macragge, echoes in Guilliman's ears. His smile widens slightly, in spite of his worry and fear.

" **We March For Macragge!"**

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 **A/N: Thank you all for reading :)**


	5. Ultramar

**A/N: Hey all! Both of us apologize for not updating recently. It's been an insanely busy time. From the author: "writer's block is a bitch, and school makes updating annoyingly difficult, but I won't give up on the story."**

 **We hope everyone's having a good 2019 so far :) In the interim, we've been keeping track of how the story's performing, and thank you to everyone who's been reading! We've both found that this story hit 1,000 views, alongside the already great amount of people following and faving the story. Both of us deeply appreciate the support.**

 **Onward with the chapter!**

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Chapter 5: Ultramar

Fulgrim grins, as he takes in the massive form of the xenos' leader.

As he and his Phoenix Guard ripped and tore their way through hordes of warriors and workers tied to the hivemind, the Primarch had spotted a large, strange creature, which could be described as some sort of massive crocodilian covered in an exoskeleton. Fulgrim's eyes widened upon realizing it was roughly the same size as him. When he charged towards it, the smaller warriors began circling it as if to protect it. It wasn't as if they were doing very well themselves, but Fulgrim concluded that this was the hivemind's central authority.

The creature raises its gargantuan arms and launches forth from them bursts of green-coloured energy in a rapid fire. Fulgrim smacks another drone out of his way, launching its bloody carcass into a small formation of its fellows, who are sent flying. As he jumps into the air over their bursts, he feels a series of explosions rock the space around him. When he lands, he turns around to see large craters and the scattered remains of enemy drones and his Phoenix Guard alike, along with several of his men raising from the ground and returning to battle. Fulgrim looks ahead of him and suddenly feels a sharp pain against the side of his face as the titanic creature backhands him into a pile of the deceased.

Fulgrim curses and swiftly rises again to face the beast, finding it charging him, a metal blade quickly extending from its wrist. He ducks under its swing and attempts to charge into its torso to take it down, being met by its armoured knee colliding violently with his chin as it slams its fist into his back. He grunts and shrinks away from its reach, shrugging off the surprising amount of pain dealt to him. The thing moves towards Fulgrim at a disturbingly fast pace, before being distracted by bolter rounds hitting it in the face, eliciting a roar and the swing of a tail against an unfortunate Astartes. Fulgrim growls in contempt and takes a swing with his great _Fireblade_ , aiming for the creature's head. As it dodges with great speed, Fulgrim feels himself thrown back by the xenos ramming into his body, its exoskeleton making an already painful impact into a painful slam of a hammer.

" **Lord Fulgrim!,"** screams a voice from afar. Fulgrim blinks and looks around before realizing the source of the voice. It is Flavius Alkenex, a renowned soldier in his elite Phoenix Guard.

" **Stay back Flavius! This beast is** _ **unreasonably**_ **powerful! I can handle this myself!"** Fulgrim responds, before feeling a sharp pain in his chest as the hive lord thrusts its blade into his ribcage. He screams savagely into its face and grabs its arm roughly, squeezing it with all his strength and attempting to spin around, trying to put it on the ground. This fails, as the creature instead refuses to budge and picks Fulgrim up off the ground with amazing strength, pushing the sword-like bodily protrusion further into his chest.

The thing then makes a yelping sound as it stumbled around slightly, turning to face the form of Flavius Alkenex, determination and anger plastered on his face as he yanks a blade out of a small gap in the xenos armour. Fulgrim is then flung aside, with his foe then lunging at Flavius, who barely dodges its assault unharmed, firing at the back of its head with his bolter. Several of Flavius' comrades flock to him, laying down suppressing fire as he jumps on its back, continuing to thrust his blade into visible weak spots. The hive leader stands up, roaring and grabbing Flavius, throwing him into his fellow Phoenix Guard, prompting Fulgrim to charge towards it, again swinging _Fireblade_. The blade cracks the armour on his enemy's back, burning the scales underneath. Fulgrim laughs, pleased by his long overdue success, before being silenced by a tail wrapping around his neck.

He begins to cough and choke, grasping at the foul alien's tail, as it tightens its grip. He is again lifted off the ground, feet kicking at air. Fulgrim, in his head, becomes consumed by disbelief, refusing to believe he'll die at the hands of a xenos creature, refusing to believe he'd fall so easily. His denial is interrupted by him falling to the ground, and the creature hissing as it turns to reveal a massive hole in its armour. Fulgrim looks around it and smiles widely upon seeing his saviour.

" **I suppose I arrived just in time brother? I'd hate for this lizard to be the end of you."**

Roboute Guilliman grins back at Fulgrim as said ultramarine-clad Primarch grips the alien forcefully by the throat and lifts it up, then slamming its face into the ground. He stands on top of it, and stomps its exposed back, sending a copper-coloured liquid that must be its blood flying, particularly into Fulgrim's face and all across Guilliman's leg. The thing twitches and lashes out for a few seconds, before succumbing to death and becoming still.

Fulgrim rises as all around him, the enemy drones drop to the ground in unison, followed shortly by the sounds of war both far and near descending into silence. He wipes the blood off his face and approaches Guilliman with a smile still stuck on his face.

" **I don't think I've ever been so happy to see you!"** Fulgrim exclaims to Roboute in a friendly fashion.

" **Happy? To see me? I think that's a first for anybody, "** Guilliman responds, returning his brother's smile.

Fulgrim embraces his brother, before looking back at the deceased hive lord.

" **I could've handled that one myself you know."**

Guilliman rolls his eyes, face returning to his default deadpan.

" **Mmm, yes, it appeared as such. Well, I'll just say I felt like being helpful then."**

Fulgrim laughs, but soon assumes a questioning expression, and looks Guilliman in the eyes.

" **What brought you here?"**

Guilliman cocks his eyebrows and responds with confusion.

" **I thought you sent out a distress beacon? I was responding to a call for help from your legion on this exact world."**

Fulgrim hums as he comes to the conclusion that his Lord Commanders must've gotten desperate and called for assistance.

" **Well, it doesn't really matter I suppose. Thank you brother, for your help. I suppose we could stay on this world for a short time, to see what we've lost and celebrate another victory?"**

Roboute looks off to the side of Fulgrim, answers after a brief silence.

" **Actually… I'd… like for you to… come back to Macragge with me. Something… strange is going on, and I require assurance it won't befall you as well."**

Fulgrim again looks confused, and shifts slightly.

" **What do you mean strange? Has something happened to our brothers?"**

Guilliman clears his throat and likewise shifts uncomfortably.

" **We've… lost contact with six entire legions, and all in the same place. Russ, Magnus, Corax, Perturabo, Curze and Horus have all gone completely silent in the space of the Akum-Sothos Sector. We haven't heard anything out of either them or their legions, or anything in that area even."**

Fulgrim's eyes widen and he grips Roboute's shoulder.

" **I shall return to Macragge with you brother, we shall leave as soon as possible. This is indeed worrying, and I think it's wise for our legions to accompany one-another in preparation for a worst case scenario."**

The Ultramarines' Primarch nods and sighs, putting his hand on Fulgrim's.

" **Thank you Fulgrim… I do not wish to be alone now…"**

The Phoenician gives him a weak, but reassuring smile.

" **You shall not be alone. We are brothers, we shall stand together always."**

Guilliman closes his eyes and tightens his grip on Fulgrim's hand.

" **Let us make haste then. To the safety of Ultramar."**

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Solomon Demeter and Saul Tarvitz stand back to back, firing bolter rounds into the surrounding hordes of warrior drones who rained hell down upon their companies. A bolt of energy strikes Demeter in the shoulder and he screams and falls to his knees as steam comes from his scorched skin. Tarvitz turns and faces the source of the attack, his eyes widening upon seeing a massive armoured reptilian creature roughly the size of a Custodes, stalking ominously towards them, steam coming off a wrist-mounted gun.

Their assault had failed. Upon reaching the aliens, the Astartes found themselves dominated in melee combat by creatures who were both faster and equipped with tougher armour. Still under sniper fire, the three attacking companies had attempted to fall back, but found themselves cut off and surrounded by their enemy. For roughly an hour they'd been engaged in a hopeless firefight, hiding in makeshift foxholes, and the cover of destroyed vehicles and the bodies of the dead.

Solomon grunts and raises his bolter to the creature, pulling the trigger and spraying the creature with fiery rounds. The attack does little damage against its exoskeleton and it merely begins walking faster. A green glow began to emanate from its gun, seemingly charging up. Saul looked down at his fellow Astartes.

" **Captain Demeter! We must return to cover! This thing will destroy us!"**

Solomon grunts and attempts to stand, continuing to fire his bolter at it. Saul picks him up from under his arm, pulling him behind a destroyed alien fighter craft, the creature still following them.

" **What… the hell is that…?,"** Demeter says wearily, sounding somewhat defeated.

" **I do not know, but whatever it is, it's strong, impervious to our bolters. We need something heavier."**

Demeter struggles to his feet, and grasps onto a stray piece of metal.

" **We need-"**

He is cut off as an explosion sends both Captains flying, the ship's remains reduced to airborne chunks of metal and scorched scrap. As they glide through the air, Demeter spots the large creature, its arm aimed at what was once their cover.

The two men land beside a force of enemy combatants, who turn and begin firing on them. Tarvitz shakes his head and spits out blood, looking over at an unconscious Captain Demeter. He groans and stands up, firing at the alien troops, killing many before being sent to the ground by a wave of energy-based projectiles. He grinds his teeth as he attempts to ignore the pain from a new scar on his face. He weakly stands again, screaming war cries and pledges to his Primarch and the Emperor as he continues to fire, preparing for death.

Suddenly, all is quiet as all around him, the enemy forces pushing against his troops fall dead in unison, simply slumping over without noise or extra movement. He pants, out of breath, as he looks around in confusion before coming to understand what is happening; the hive has been extinguished and the mind at the center killed. Saul drops his bolter to his side and runs to check on Solomon. Upon discovering that he was alive, Saul smiles and slumps down on the ground next to him, laying down and looking up at the sky. Both witness the xenos' spacecraft and airships plummeting to the ground, some exploding as they are shot down by Imperial forces under the assumption they're still active. He also sees the ships of the Ultramarines Legion entering the world's atmosphere, sending drop pods and supporting Stormbirds and Thunderhawks down to the planet.

Solomon moans in pain and agitation as he wakes up, looking over at Saul and the dead alien corpses behind him.

" **...I... see you had all the fun without me, huh?"**

Saul laughs, and looks back at him.

" **Unfortunately, this wasn't my doing. I think we've won the day, sir."**

Solomon chuckles and spits out blood.

"' **Bout damn time. That was getting a little repetitive wasn't it, losing all the time?"**

The two Captains then merely share a smile, looking up at the sky as in the distance they hear the joyous cries of their men.

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 **A/N: And that's the end of chapter 5! Feel free to leave a fav, review, or follow.**

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 **UPDATE: To anyone that's been reading, I have an announcement here. Both of us running this account have been busy with RL and the author has told me to let you know that this story is on hold as of right now. It's been a stressful time due to RL. This story will hopefully resume being written at the end of May or at the beginning of June. This is why no update has been made to the story so far. Rest assured he hasn't forgotten about this story or all of you.**


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